English Instructor

Vital Stats

Classes taught: Fundamentals of College English,
Composition I & II, Business Writing and various literature courses

Hobbies: Cooking, baking, theatre, art, spending time with
her one-year-old son. Also a wine enthusiast and hobby mosaicist.

Reading and writing have been Kym Snelling´s passions since she was a
little girl writing silly poems and reading voraciously. As an English
instructor and the Communications (English) Department coordinator at MCC,
these passions still serve her well as she´s served them.

"I like to think of our classroom together as a place where we all
share ideas and learn from one another. I think students invest more in what I
have to teach them when they feel they can contribute to the process, and I
love to foster that kind of environment for them," Snelling said.

English was almost a career path she veered away from in early adulthood.
Snelling began her higher education enrolled in an international business
program but quickly realized she needed to follow her heart—right to the
English program. Six years of hard work later, she completed her
bachelor´s and master´s degrees. A full-time faculty member for
more than two years now, Snelling also taught part-time for six years.

"For me, the best parts of teaching are nurturing and watching the
transformations of students as they learn. I love witnessing intellectual
curiosity in my students and seeing them discover answers for themselves in my
classes," Snelling said. "This process that includes students
learning how to communicate better and building confidence is something I truly
appreciate as an instructor."

While English is a subject nearly everyone is familiar with, it´s one
that Snelling experiences misconceptions about, most often that English class
is a waste of time because most jobs do not require writing skills. But
Snelling is ready to set the record straight and show the reality of reading
and writing in everyday life.

"The first day of class every quarter I describe several scenarios in
life and work when writing skills would be useful, if not vital," she
explained. "For example, car mechanics don´t write big reports in
their field; however, they do need to know how to summarize—in
writing—to describe a problem. Nurses need to communicate clearly in
writing so doctors can prescribe treatments properly."

"Most students come into my classes believing that they are either
good or bad writers. The truth is we are all a little bit of both—in
other words, we all have weaknesses that could be improved and strengths to
build on as writers."

Dr. Susann Suprenant, dean of communications and humanities, describes
Snelling as a dynamic and caring instructor highly respected by her peers who
has made significant contributions to the department including work on
revising the developmental writing program and serving as a liaison to adjunct
faculty.